Intellectuals of Kolkata organised a rally to Save the Saradha thieves, by Mamta's order!

Thursday , November 27 , 2014  For thieves, steal a march OUR BUREAU 1950s: Ensure food security. 1960s: Express solidarity with Vietnam. 1970s: Release political prisoners. 2014: Denounce police atrocity on students. November 28, 2014: Save the Saradha thieves. Calcutta, Nov. 27: Just when Calcutta, the capital of street protests, thought that it had been there, seen that and done that, comes an unparalleled event: a protest to champion the cause of thieves. On Friday, the city will witness a march against what chief minister Mamata Banerjee has described as “the Centre’s conspiracy to malign the party and the government in the name of the CBI probe”. The CBI is probing the Saradha scam in which thousands of poor depositors have lost their savings. The inquiry has been ordered by the Supreme Court, the highest court of the land. What is also indisputable is that several thousand crores of rupees are still missing. But the march by a section of the so-called culture clan will wind its way from Nandan to the Academy of Fine Arts to protest against the probe. “This is the first time that our city will see a rally in defence of thieves…. It is going to be a sad day as Calcutta has seen rallies for so many noble causes,” said BJP president Rahul Sinha. Academician Sunanda Sanyal, 83, who had once associated with Trinamul and walked with Mamata in several rallies before the change of guard in the state, said he was surprised to learn about the rally. “I have never heard in my life that political leaders are calling apolitical people from the world of art and culture to bring out rallies and safeguard thieves. Such a protest would bring shame to all of us,” said Sanyal. The involvement of the “culture clan” has also prompted some to wonder whether the rally is being organised also in defence of the right to say “s***” in the name of freedom of expression. The reference was to the swear word Mamata had uttered — and hastily withdrawn — on Saturday. Singer Indranil Sen, filmmaker Srikant Mohta, Trinamul MP and actor Dev, actor-turned-president of the state’s vocational education council Rudranil Ghosh — all known for their proximity to Mamata — are said to be working the phones to make the rally a success. But a section of Trinamul is learnt to be against the charade. “There will be no banners of political parties…. There will not be any political slogans. It would be a silent march to protest the manner in which the Centre is trying to malign the Bengal government in the name of a CBI probe,” said Sen, who had unsuccessfully contested the Behrampore seat on a Trinamul ticket. While addressing a rally near Esplanade on Monday, Mamata had given the clarion call: “I am asking the members of my culture clan to come forward to protest the Centre’s heinous design to malign us in the name of a CBI probe.” Mamata is not expected to power the rally in person as she is scheduled to be in Asansol on Friday. “Whenever Didi is in trouble, she prefers hitting the streets to send out a message that people are with her… This is a crisis period and she is using the same strategy,” said a Trinamul insider. Not just the Opposition parties, even some Trinamul leaders ridiculed the plan. “At this stage, a street protest against the CBI probe would be seen as an attempt to protect those who are being questioned by the central agency. Will it not send a wrong message?” asked the senior Trinamul minister. A professor of sociology said that for any political party or for a civil liberty group, holding a rally means addressing its core constituency. Besides, rallies are often held by an organiser to measure his or her support base. “I am not sure what factors would prompt people to take part in this rally,” said the sociologist. “One reason for their attendance could be they want the probe to be stopped, which would mean they do not have any problems with the Saradha scam. While those benefiting from the fraud may think so, it is difficult to believe that ordinary people can think that way,” said the sociologist. Ruling party help made West Bengal the safest shelter in India for Jihadis "THE BIGGEST BENEFICIARY IN SARDHA SCAM IS MAMTA" - KUNAL GHOSH

চুরির অধিকার দাবিতে তৃণমূলী বুদ্ধিজীবিদের মিছিল ! বাংলার সম্মান ভূলুন্ঠিত!

এ কোন মিছিল? চক্রান্তের প্রতিবাদ, নাকি চুরির দাবি

নিজস্ব সংবাদদাতা

কলকাতা, ২৭ নভেম্বর, ২০১৪

সপ্তাহ শুরু হয়েছিল এক অভিনব মিছিল দিয়ে। যার স্লোগান ছিল, ‘আমরা সবাই চোর’। সেই মিছিলের মঞ্চ থেকেই আর এক মিছিলের ফতোয়া দিয়েছিলেন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী। কাল, শুক্রবার শিল্প-সংস্কৃতি জগতের মানুষদের সেই মিছিলে হাঁটার কথা। কার্যত যাকে চুরির অধিকার চাওয়ার মিছিল বলেই কটাক্ষ করছেন অনেকে।

কিন্তু মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর নির্দেশ বলে কথা! অমান্য করার উপায় নেই। ফলে মিছিল ‘ম্যানেজমেন্টে’ কন্যা-কর্তার ভূমিকায় নেমেছেন মূলত তিন জন। সদ্য শিবির বদলানো এক অভিনেতা-পরিচালক। দল পাল্টানো এক কবি। আর বাংলা ছবির দণ্ডমুণ্ডের কর্তা হয়ে উঠতে চাওয়া এক প্রযোজক। কর ফাঁকি থেকে শুরু করে অন্যায় সুবিধা নেওয়ার অভিযোগ ওঠা সত্ত্বেও মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর বরাভয় হস্ত সর্বদাই যাঁর মাথার উপরে। অরিন্দম শীল, শ্রীকান্ত মোহতা ও সুবোধ সরকারের হাতে মিছিল ডাকার গুরু দায়িত্ব সঁপে দিয়েছেন মমতা নিজেই।

নেত্রীর ইচ্ছায় কর্ম। অরিন্দম তাই গণ-এসএমএস পাঠাচ্ছেন। তাতে লেখা, “আগামী ২৮ নভেম্বর, শুক্রবার, দুপুর একটায় নন্দনে জমায়েত। সেখান থেকে অ্যাকাডেমি অবধি প্রতীকী মিছিল। কোনও রাজনৈতিক ব্যানারে নয়। বাংলা ও বাংলার সংস্কৃতির উপরে আঘাত ও চক্রান্তের বিরুদ্ধে প্রতিবাদে সামিল হতে... পথে এ বার নামো সাথী। প্লিজ এসো।” শ্রীকান্তের সঙ্গে এ দিন কথা বলতে চেয়ে ফোন ও এসএমএস করা হলেও সাড়া মেলেনি। সুবোধবাবু এ দিন দুর্গাপুরে এক আলোচনাসভায় জানিয়েছেন, ২৮ নভেম্বর পথে নামবেন। তিনি বলেন, “বিচারের আগেই বিচারের দায়িত্ব নিয়ে নিচ্ছে সংবাদমাধ্যমের একাংশ। সরকারের বিরুদ্ধে চক্রান্ত চলছে।”

কীসের চক্রান্ত? মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর সোমবারের বক্তৃতা থেকে স্পষ্ট, তাঁর রাগ সারদা তদন্তে সিবিআইয়ের ধরপাকড়ের বিরুদ্ধে। সেই জন্যই সে দিন প্ল্যাকার্ড বলছিল, “আমরা সবাই চোর! আমাদের গ্রেফতার করো!” সেই কর্মসূচিরই পরের ধাপ শুক্রবারের মিছিল। এ বার কি তবে চুরির অধিকারের দাবিতে পথে নামা? নাট্যপরিচালক সুমন মুখোপাধ্যায়ের মন্তব্য, বিষয়টা হরেদরে সে রকমই তো দাঁড়াচ্ছে প্রায়। তাঁর কথায়, “উদ্ভট ব্যাপার। সিবিআইয়ের ধরপাকড়ের প্রতিবাদে পথে নামা মানে তো চুরির অধিকারকে প্রতিষ্ঠা করার চেষ্টাই হল।” সুমন অবশ্য এসএমএস-আমন্ত্রণ পাননি। তবে অন্য এক ‘আমন্ত্রিত’ অভিনেতা বলে ফেললেন, “চুরির অধিকারের দাবিতে মিছিল নন্দনে কেন? আলিপুর জেলখানার সামনে করলেই পারত!”

এই অস্বস্তিটা যে সংস্কৃতি জগতের মধ্যেও নেই, তা নয়। সেটা বুঝেই অরিন্দমরা সরাসরি সারদা-সিবিআই ইত্যাদি না বলে সংস্কৃতির উপরে আঘাতের কথা তুলছেন। কী রকম আঘাত? প্রশ্ন করলে অপর্ণা সেনকে জেরার উদাহরণ টানছেন অরিন্দম। কিন্তু সে তো বেশ কিছু দিন আগের কথা! এখন তার প্রতিবাদ কেন? অপর্ণা নিজে তো কোনও প্রতিবাদের ডাক দেননি? স্পষ্ট কোনও উত্তর নেই আয়োজকদের কাছে।

মমতা-ঘনিষ্ঠ অভিনেতা রুদ্রনীলের কাছেও বিষয়টা পরিষ্কার নয়। তাঁরও খটকা, সংস্কৃতিতে আঘাতটা হঠাৎ কীসে লাগল? রুদ্রর প্রশ্ন: “অরিন্দম পরিবর্তনের আগে টিভি চ্যানেলে বামফ্রন্টের হয়ে সওয়াল করতেন। ওঁর এসএমএসে আমি কেন বিশ্বাস করব? তা-ও যদি প্রসেনজিতের মতো সিনিয়র কেউ ডাকতেন।” প্রসেনজিৎ মিছিল ডাকেননি, মিছিল নিয়ে কিছু বলতেও রাজি নন। গায়ক ইন্দ্রনীল সেন বরং খোলা গলায় হাঁকছেন, “শিল্প, সংস্কৃতি, ক্রীড়া যে-দিকে দেখছি, শুধু বঞ্চনা! চক্রান্ত! যে যেখান থেকে পারেন সকলে আসুন।” চিত্রপরিচালক কৌশিক গঙ্গোপাধ্যায় গোয়ার ফিল্মোৎসবে রয়েছেন। শুক্রবার শহরে থাকছেন না। কিন্তু মানসিক ভাবে ইন্ডাস্ট্রির পাশে দাঁড়াবেন বলে জানাচ্ছেন। তাঁর কথায়, “ফিল্ম ইন্ডাস্ট্রির সবাই গেলে আমি পাশে দাঁড়াব। ঠিক-ভুল পরে ভাবব।”

এখানেই প্রশ্ন জাগছে অনেকের মনে। যে প্রতিবাদী স্বরকে বাংলার সংস্কৃতির অবিচ্ছেদ্য অঙ্গ বলে মনে করা হতো এত কাল, তার সঙ্গে এই নব্য প্রতিবাদীরা খাপ খাচ্ছেন কি? প্রবীণেরা মনে করিয়ে দিচ্ছেন বঙ্গভঙ্গের বিরুদ্ধে পথে নামা রবীন্দ্রনাথ, খাদ্য আন্দোলনের জমানায় মিছিলে হাঁটা সত্যজিৎ রায় বা হাল আমলে নন্দীগ্রাম আন্দোলনের সময়েও রাজপথে কবি-সাহিত্যিক-বিশিষ্টদের মহামিছিল যে প্রতিবাদের প্রতিনিধিত্ব করেছে, শুক্রবারের মিছিলের সঙ্গে তার কোনও সম্পকর্র্ নেই। সুভাষ বসু থেকে তরুণী মমতা পর্যন্ত রাজনৈতিক প্রতিবাদের যে ঘরানা বাংলা দেখেছে, তার সঙ্গেও একে কোনও ভাবেই মেলানো যায় না।

বাম জমানাতেও বিনোদন জগৎ বা সাংস্কৃতিক কর্মীদের একাংশ শাসক দলের তাঁবেদারি করেছেন বলে অভিযোগ। কিন্তু চুরির পক্ষে সওয়াল করে প্রতিবাদ সেই পরম্পরাতেও নয়া সংযোজন। সুমন হেসে বলছেন, “এ এক বীভৎস মজা। বাংলা কেন, জানি না এমন প্রতিবাদ, ভূভারতে কোথায় কবে হয়েছে।”

গায়ে পুরোদস্তুর তৃণমূলের তকমা যাঁদের রয়েছে, তাঁরাও অনেকেই মিছিল নিয়ে মন্তব্যে নারাজ। না-গেলে উপায় নেই, তাই যাবেন বলে ঠিক করেছেন কেউ। কেউ কেউ আবার অন্য কাজ আছে বা শহরে থাকছেন না বলে হাঁফ ছেড়ে বাঁচছেন। মন্ত্রী ব্রাত্য বসু মিছিলে থাকবেন বলে জানিয়েছেন। তবে বলেন, “২৮ তারিখের পরই এ নিয়ে কথা বলব।” তৃণমূলের রাজ্যসভার সাংসদ চিত্রশিল্পী যোগেন চৌধুরী দিল্লিতে সংসদের কাজে ব্যস্ত থাকায় যেতে পারবেন না বলে জানিয়েছেন। মমতা-মনোনীত রাজ্য মহিলা কমিশনের সদস্য জুন মালিয়া আবার মিছিলে হাঁটতে গররাজি। তিনি এক আত্মীয়ের বিয়ে আছে বলে যেতে পারবেন না বলছেন। পরিচালক রাজ চক্রবর্তীর শ্যুটিং চলছে দার্জিলিংয়ে। তাই রাজ-মিমি চক্রবর্তী প্রমুখের থাকার সম্ভাবনা কম। মমতার দলের বিধায়ক চিরঞ্জিতও সম্ভবত থাকবেন না। তাঁর কথায়, “পার্টি যখন করি, তখন বললে যাব। তবে শুক্রবার আমার শ্যুটিং আছে।” অভিনতা-পরিচালক পরমব্রত চট্টোপাধ্যায়ও মিছিলের দিন কলকাতায় থাকা হবে না বলে জানিয়েছেন।

আর মিছিলে যাঁরা থাকবেন, তাঁরাই বা কী করবেন, তা-ও এখনও পরিষ্কার নয়। ইন্দ্রনীল যেমন বলছেন, “হাঁটতে হাঁটতে সলিল চৌধুরীর ‘পথে এ বার নামো সাথী’টা গাইব।” অরিন্দম শীলের দাবি, “মুখ বন্ধ। হাতে পোস্টার। মৌন মিছিল হবে।” মিছিলের ‘রুট’ নিয়েও তৈরি হয়েছে সংশয়। গন্তব্য, নন্দন থেকে অ্যাকাডেমি অব ফাইন আর্টস। শুনে আমন্ত্রিত শিল্পীরাই হাসছেন, এ তো রেকর্ড! কলকাতার সংক্ষিপ্ততম মিছিল। সংগঠকরা বোঝাচ্ছেন, ঘুরিয়ে নাক ধরার মতো নন্দনের ফটক ছেড়ে মিছিল যাবে জওহর শিশু মিউজিয়ামের দিকে। সেখান থেকে বাঁ দিকে ঘুরে তারামণ্ডল হয়ে অ্যাকাডেমির সামনে থামবে। তবু মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর বেঁধে দেওয়া দিনক্ষণ অনুযায়ী, মিছিল শুরু করা যায়নি বলে একটা খচখচানি থাকছেই। মমতা চেয়েছিলেন, মিছিল হবে বুধবার। তবু শুক্রবারের আগে কিছু করা গেল না! এমনিতে মমতা ডাকলেই হাজির হন বিনোদন জগতের কেউকেটারা। যে কোনও সরকারি অনুষ্ঠানে টিভি-ফিল্মের চেনা মুখগুলি মমতাকে ঘিরে থাকেন। তারকা-সমাবেশে উচ্ছ্বসিত মমতা সগর্বে ঘোষণা করেন, “দেব আমাদের, শুভশ্রী-ও!” এই মধুচন্দ্রিমার মেজাজ এ বার যেন খানিকটা বেসুরে বাজছে।

ইন্দ্রনীল-অরিন্দমেরা অবশ্য ভরসা দিচ্ছেন, চিন্তার কিছু নেই! মিছিল জমে যাবে। শুধু প্রশ্ন একটাই, মমতা জমানায় সংস্কৃতি আর গণবিনোদনের ফারাক আগেই গুলিয়ে গিয়েছে। বিরোধীদের কটাক্ষ, প্রতিবাদ আর পদলেহনটাও কি এ বার মিলেমিশে যাবে?


সারদা তদন্তে জালিয়াত তৃণমূলী 'চিত্রকর' শুভাপ্রসন্নর মিথ্যে তথ্য!

Kolkata Book Fair Official lies about Salman Rushdie invitation

Guild denies role in Rushdie ban, takes a dig at media

TNN | Feb 5, 2013, 06.57 AM IST

Salman Rushdie Air Ticket (source The Telegraph Feb 04 2013 Kolkata)

KOLKATA: Even after the supposed air tickets of Salman Rushdie that were routed through an email account attributed to Gameplan - the organizers of Kolkata Literary Meet (KLM) - was flashed by sections of the media on Monday, the Publishers and Booksellers Guild maintained that it had no hand in the author's last minute cancellation of his trip to the city.

They claimed that neither they nor Gameplan sent out any invitation or air tickets to Rushdie. However, the guild secretary Tridib Kumar Chatterjee tried to make light the situation.

"You can continue investigating the reason why Rushdie wanted to come here and why he cancelled his trip. We will only say that not everything in life can be explained, similar to the Bermuda Triangle mystery,'' he said, adding to the controversy.

Addressing a press conference at the Milan Mela, both Chatterjee and president Sudhangshu Dey asked the press to "let go of the Rushdie controversy'' as the literary meet was over on Sunday.

"We do not accept an air ticket as a credible proof that we had invited him to the fest. You can check with every author who attended the meet on our invitation that they had received a request letter on our behalf. Unless we see such an invitation forwarded by us to Rushdie, we cannot accept that we had invited him,'' said Chatterjee.

He also told reporters to directly ask state minister Sultan Ahmed whether the guild had invited Rushdie and if the state administration had stepped in to stop the visit.

When asked why the guild chose to write to the police that they had not invited Rushdie instead of a verbal communication, the guild heads once again blamed the media for the development. We will not tell you how we informed the cops. However, it had become an imperative to inform them the reality after a section of media reported that we had invited him over,'' said Chatterjee.

The guild also remained non-committal on whether the writer will be invited to the lit fest in future.

"Let the future be decided based on ground realities. We cannot comment on the future right now. But since the state government assists us in the fair, they will be taken into confidence whenever we decide to invite Rushdie to the fest,'' said Dey.

Refusing to budge from their initial stance - even after sections of the media flashed the supposed air tickets of Salman Rushdie for Kolkata before them - the Publishers and Book Sellers Guild maintained that they had no role to play in the last minute cancellation of plans by the author of the Satanic Verses to visit the city. The organizers claimed on Monday that neither they, nor the event organizers of the Kolkata Literary Fest - Game Plan, sent out any invitation or air ticket to Rushdie.

Curiously, the secretary of the Guild Tridib Kumar Chatterjee maintained that the author's cancellation of the trip was comparable to the mystery surrounding the Bermuda triangle. You can continue investigating the reason why Rushdie wanted to come here and why he cancelled his trip. We will only say that not everything in life can be explained, similar to the Bermuda Triangle mystery,'' said Chatterjee. His statements, though made in a lighter vein, might only add to the controversy.

Addressing a press conference at the Milan Mela Book Fair grounds, both Chatterjee and president Sudhangshu Dey asked the press to let go of the Rushdie controversy'' as the Literary fest was over on Sunday. We do not accept an air ticket as a credible proof that we had invited him to the fest. You can check from every author who attended the meet on our invitation that they have received a request letter on our behalf. Unless we see such an invitation forwarded by us to Rushdie, we cannot accept that we had invited him,'' said Chatterjee. In fact, Chatterjee went to the extent of asking reporters to ask state minister Sultan Ahmed themselves on his statement that the guild had invited them and the state administration had stepped in to stop the visit.

When asked why the guild chose to tell the cops through a written communication that they had not invited Rushdie instead of a verbal communication, the guild heads once again blamed the media for the development. We will not tell you how we informed the cops. However, it had become an imperative to inform them the reality after a section of media reported that we had invited him over,'' said Chatterjee.

The guild remained non-committal on whether the writer will be invited to the Kolkata lit fest in the future. Let the future be decided based on ground realities. We cannot comment on the future right now. But since the state government assists us with the fair, they will be taken in to confidence whenever we decide to invite Rushdie to the fest,'' said Dey.

A section of the media on Monday had claimed that Salman Rushdie was supposed to attend the Kolkata Literary Meet (KLM) at 7.45pm on January 30 and his plane tickets were routed through an email account attributed to Gameplan.

Sources in the Calcutta-based Gameplan, the organisers of the lit meet though maintained - just like guild - that Rushdie was never "invited" to KLM. Rushdie was eventually shut out of the city, for which the author held chief minister Mamata Banerjee responsible by tweeting that she ordered police to block his arrival that led to an eventual backlash among intellectuals across the country.

The media had also claimed that the correspondece'' between both sides confirm that the itinerary and the visit itself were yanked off the charted route on January 29 - a day before Rushdie's proposed trip to Calcutta - after the police formed an "impression".

Culture of Mamata - 6 videos

Culture of Mamata

Mamta in an unprecedented and indecent manner attacked Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh(source : 24ghanta news)

Mamta's minister Becharam Manna threatens Indian court if Singur case verdict goes against Trinamool they won't obey court's verdict(source : 24ghanta news)

Mamata's minister Jyotipriya Mullick openly provokes people to become violent against opposition(source : 24ghanta news)

Mamata's minister Sultan Ahmed expressing his joy for Mamata's order to Kolkata police for let not enter author Mr. Salman Rushdie to Kolkata on January 30,2013(source : 24ghanta news)

Mamata's party men organized a vulgar dance show on the her party TMC's foundation day(source : ABP news)

Mamata's students wing TMCP organized another vulgar dance show on college campus (source : 24ghanta news)

Related Story : Mamata's Behavior

Mamata's fascism blocked Salman Rushdie

Trinamool MP calls Rushdie 'Satan'

IANS | Feb 1, 2013, 06.53 PM IST

Mamata ordered police to block my arrival in Kolkata: Rushdie

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress MP Sultan Ahmed Friday called Salman Rushdie a "Satan" and said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had done the right thing if she indeed blocked the writer's visit to Kolkata.

"I have no knowledge of what actually happened. But if the chief minister has indeed ordered the police to block Rushdie's entry to the city, then she has done the right thing. We don't have anything to learn from Rushdie," Ahmed said.

Ahmed, a member of the lower house of parliament, was the union minister of state for tourism in the United Progressive Alliance government till the Trinamool quit the ruling dispensation.

He said Rushdie's only intention was to foment "inter-religious conflict" and added that freedom of expression did not give anyone the right to denigrate Prophet Mohammed.

"Rushdie is not an author; he is a Satan," Ahmed said.

Mamta party TMC's MP Sultan Ahmed thanks Mamta for Rushdie ban!

His comments came on a day the Booker Prize-winning author Rushdie said he was forced to cancel his trip to Kolkata two days back as he was told on the eve of his departure that the police would refuse him entry to the city and put him on the next plane back at the request of the chief minister.

The controversial author of " The Satanic Verses" was slated to visit Kolkata Jan 30 to promote Deepa Mehta's film "Midnight's Children" based on his homonymous novel.

Rushdie has long been embroiled in controversy over "The Satanic Verses", which is perceived as anti-Islamic.

 Noted filmmaker and actress Aparna Sen expresses her anguish against Mamta Banerjee ordered police for not let author Salman Rushdie enter Kolkata on January 30,2013

 

Naked Partisan mind of fake Bengali Intellectuals

Mamata-backed intellectuals defends her stance in Park Street rape

By Ajanta Chakraborty, TNN | Dec 26, 2012, 12.37 PM IST
KOLKATA:The Park Street 'rape' was different and a matter of dispute. Therefore, the Trinamool-backed intellectuals did not find it worth a cause to fight for, Arpita Ghosh, theatre person, has said at a convention organised by Natya-Swajan in protest against the Delhi gangrape.
Her comment stoke fresh a controversy after chief minister Mamata Banerjee's "sajano ghotona" (concocted incident) slur on the tragedy.
Ghosh insisted she was not trying to justify what happened in Park Street, saying: "The Delhi incident is different from the Park Street incident. The woman of Park Street got into the car willingly but in Delhi the incident happened inside a public vehicle."
Ghosh also took it upon herself to defend Mamata's stand: "If you want to blame the chief minister, you have to first blame the woman because the persons whom she initially identified as criminals were not the actual criminals. The chief minister gave her reaction based on this report."
Natya-Swajan is a Trinamool Congress-backed association of theatre personalities like Ghosh, Bibhas Chakraborty and education minister Bratya Basu as its faces. "We protest everyday through our art. We don't have to wait for any incident to occur. Connecting Delhi incident with that of Park Street is not right," said Bibhas Chakraborty on being asked why they didn't protest when the Park Street rape.
However, theatre people didn't accept why the police failed to file charge-sheet against the accused of Park Street incident. "The administration must address these issues and hasten the process," said Ghosh.

TWO CASES

Talking too much is never a good idea. Experts say it is a sign of unease or nervousness, revealing even more about the speaker than he or she intended. For example, Arpita Ghosh, a theatre person and an articulate member of the West Bengal chief minister’s intellectual brigade, talked a little too much about the earlier rape in Park Street while protesting against the Delhi rape. It is merely the nervy, brittle quality of Ms Ghosh’s logic that would suggest that the experts are not completely off the mark, for otherwise the lady seemed perfectly at ease and not the least bit nervous when drawing distinctions between the two incidents of rape. In Park Street, she said, the complainant walked voluntarily into a car owned by people she had just met at a nightclub, and this too, at the dead of night. In Delhi, the girl boarded a public bus at 9.30 pm. Without spelling it out, Ms Ghosh was laying bare that old, chauvinistic judgment on women: the woman in Park Street was ‘asking for it’, the girl in Delhi was an innocent victim. Her remarks throw up an intriguing question: is this intellectual corruption or just the staggering insensitivity born of politics? The two need not be mutually exclusive, of course.

The corruption of thought and speech induced by nearness to and aspiration towards political power may perhaps be dominant here. While protesting against the rape of the girl in Delhi, Ms Ghosh forgot to mention that not all the alleged rapists in the Park Street case have been arrested while charges remain elusive against the rest. That is the second danger of talking too much. People notice what is left unsaid, and take note of the nonsense spoken to fill up the lacunae. In this case, this nonsense was Ms Ghosh’s defence of the chief minister for having called the Park Street case ‘concocted’. Apparently, that was because the complainant identified the wrong suspect the first time round. To judge a woman for making a mistake in identification after experiencing extreme violence is shocking, but, then, Ms Ghosh was busy tarnishing in public, by suggestion, a woman who unwittingly caused the chief minister to swallow her own words. No wonder there is so little progress in the case; who dares displease the chief minister? Ms Ghosh, however, has revealed a less-known obscenity rape may lead to: sitting in protest against one rape while taking apart the victim of another.

TMC MP insinuates Park Street victim is sex worker

HT Correspondent , Hindustan Times
Kolkata, December 28, 2012

Perhaps opening a new chapter in a season of national outrage over brutality on women, Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar came the nearest to calling the Park Street rape victim a sex worker when she described the February 5 incident not as a rape but as a 'misunderstanding between a

lady and her client.'

Significantly, Ghosh Dastidar is a gynaecologist who is not only widely travelled with exposure to various countries and cultures, but also studied at King's College, London. She also heads the women's wing of Trinamool Congress.
Dastidar has also authored two books on gynecology.
"If you're referring to the Park Street rape, see that is a different case altogether. That was not at all a rape case. It was a misunderstanding between the two parties involved between a lady and her client. This was not a rape," Ghosh Dastidar told a television channel on Friday. She made this comment while reacting to another obscene comment made by senior CPI(M) leader Anisur Rehman on chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

Ghosh Dastidar switched off her phone after the comment was televised. Till late evening, none of her party leaders condemned the comment.
Shocked with Dastidar's comment, on Friday evening the victim requested leaders not to politicise such issues and help victims get justice instead. "People have entrusted them with the safety and security of our lives. They should not make such accusations," the 37-year-old victim, a single mother of two, said.
Recently, while talking to HT, the rape victim had rued that a section of the government and the ruling party tried to indicate that she was a sex worker. "Had I been a prostitute, I would not have to suffer through financial crisis," she had said on December 18.
Before the incident, the Park Street victim lost her job in a call centre and is not able to foot the school fees of her two daughters. Dues have piled up with the landlord too and she is looking for a cheap place to stay. "Forget Christmas gifts, I don't have enough money to buy food," she had told HT.
In February chief minister Mamata Banerjee had termed the incident as concocted and alleged it was cooked up to malign her government. Later transport minister Madan Mitra also questioned the morals of the woman, who would befriend strangers at 2 am at a discotheque. But before Ghosh Dastidar none suggest the victim was a sex worker.
Incidentally, Kolkata Police has already filed a chargesheet confirming gangrape on the woman.
However, the head of the detective department had to move out from her position after she contradicted the chief minister and established the crime through prompt investigation.
Trinamool leaders were, however, uncomfortable with the incident as it has become a prominent tool of flaying the party and its leaders.
Incidentally on December 24, theatre actor-director Arpita Ghosh, a close aide of Mamata Banerjee, remarked the Park Street incident and the New Delhi one are not comparable as they involved different degrees of brutality.
On Friday, Congress leaders such as Deepa Dasmunshi and Pradip Bhattacharya severely criticized Ghosh Dastidar's comment calling it most outrageous and unfortunate as it came from a woman.
"This is unthinkable, especially from a woman who is also a doctor. It is demeaning both for her and for her party. I cannot comprehend why she made such a comment, especially when everyone knows it was indeed a rape," said Trinamool MP Kabir Suman.
"What has gone wrong with our politicians that they are making such comments! It's just unbelievable. A rape is a rape and the Park Street incident is as heinous as the Delhi rape. It is completely unacceptable that we are increasing their pain instead of trying to share the pain," remarked Pradip Bhattacharya, WBPCC president.

Armed partymen of Mamata Banerjee hampering peace process

Q & A: Akash, CPI(Maoist) State Committee Secretary

‘Mamata must understand peace is not a commodity in the local market’

By Tusha Mittal

Mamata has appealed for peace in Junglemahal. She has appointed mediators to begin a dialogue process. What is your response to her offer for talks?
Mamata Banerjee has appealed for peace in Junglemahal but has not referred to our party. She has not directly offered to talk to us. This is the major problem in her peace process. Earlier, the CPM had also announced development policies from time to time and their leaders had visited Midnapore to renew the peace project.

But all of this broke down because their intentions were not genuine. The CPM used the development money to maintain their goons while accusing the Maoists of restricting development. We condemn any such allegation. The new government can talk to us directly about development, about where development projects should be undertaken. Mamata is sticking to the same point as the CPM, that the government will not spare anybody who hampers the development process. If there is any evidence that we are hampering development projects, Mamata should announce it publicly through the media. We will solve the problem in 15 days. The government is spreading confusion that we are not allowing roads to be built. We are not anti-development.

The actual question regarding Junglemahal is peace. How can peace be restored? Not a single Harmad camp has been stopped by the government. Tactically, the Harmads are not staying together. They are scattered in the villages but they are protected by the police.

We are committed to initiate circumstances needed to restore peace in Junglemahal. The government should also try to do the same. So far, the peace committee has not approached us with any formal invitation for talks. But we are in touch with them. We have never closed our door.

Mamata has asked all parties to abandon arms and offered a rehabilitation package. While some are reading her offer as call to stop using arms, others perceive it as a call to surrender arms. How do you read her offer? If surrendering arms was not a pre-condition, would your response be different?
Mamata has given a call to surrender arms. But most of the arms are in the hands of the CPM and the TMC. Second is the Congress. In our case, the point is not the arms but our ideology. We believe in armed struggle. But quantitatively, we hardly have 1 percent of the arms the CPM possesses. It is true that after the formation of the new government, 2,000-3,000 arms were recovered from the CPM. But 50-60 percent of them are rejected and outdated weapons. This is less than 2 percent of the arms the CPM possesses. In Gwaltore, where locals attempted to take away arms from the CPM, the police restricted people from doing so. No arms have been recovered in Purulia and Bankura districts either. In Taldagiri, a CPM leader was beaten to death by TMC workers and it was portrayed as a mass agitation. So who is Mamata actually addressing when she says surrender arms? Has the TMC ever agitated without arms? The TMCwas armed during the Garbeta, Keshpur incident in 2000. In Nandigram, apart from the Maoists, both the TMC and the pseudo-Left were well armed. In Junglemahal, the party goons are carrying AK-47 and Insas rifles supplied by the police. This talk of surrendering arms is only meant to intentionally combat our revolutionary struggle. There is no question of surrendering arms. The government should first take the initiative to create a conducive atmosphere for talks.

Initial press statements from the party indicate that you have rejected Mamata’s offer because two demands have not been met — the unconditional withdrawal of troops and the release of all political prisoners. Are these not issues to be resolved during talks? Post-polls, Junglemahal is seen as more peaceful. There have been no reports of arbitrary arrests by the joint forces. Is this not a changed atmosphere conducive for talks?
The statement that there is peace in Junglemahal is absurd. All CPM leaders who terrorised Junglemahal are still active in the villages. The administration has not taken any steps against them. P Chidambaram had himself admitted that the joint forces cannot act without the help of the CPM cadres. Now, Opposition leader Suryakanta Misra has said that they will cooperate with the government in every way to combat Maoists. The joint forces are assisted by the Harmad, secondly by their own network, and thirdly by a section of the TMC. The TMC-dominated villages are forming their own information network to assist the forces. Villagers who come forward against State repression through rallies and mass meetings are facing the same blockade from TMC as they did from the CPM. The TMC is attacking villages in the same way as the CPM.

‘Make a monitoring committee with participation from both sides. We have not closed our doors’

For example, last month, a group of TMC cadres under Ardhendhu Patra’s leadership ransacked 13 houses near Thoria village. The joint forces did not stop them. To protest the incident, the Bandi Mukti Committee (BMC) of Junglemahal organised a public meeting on 6 July in Belpahari. The public meeting had police permission. The BMC is not banned in this state. It upholds the issue of unconditional release of political prisoners, which this government had also considered a political agenda before elections. On 6 July, 13 buses were coming from Berakakno village of Nayagram to attend the meeting. The buses were stopped by the TMC leaders. Patra’s team defaced posters and hardly left any democratic space for the people to raise their voices. But later, they alleged that the Maoists had beaten up the TMC leaders.

Fear factor The Maoist leader claims that the joint forces are being helped by Harmad cadres

If the intellectuals (without party affiliation) agree, the Maoist party and people of Junglemahal are ready for a public hearing on the incident. If Sujato Bhadro and Deboproto Bandopadhyay (IAS officer and TMC Rajya Sabha member) want to come here for a probe, we have no objection.

On 11 July, the tractor of CPM leader Haridwar Singh was set on fire by the villagers. He was a police informer who had left the village and was being protected by the joint forces. The next day, the forces entered Simulpal and beat up the villagers. The injured had to be hospitalised.

This exposes the actual nature of the TMC. Their motive is to capture Junglemahal. As people are becoming aware of this hypocrisy, the TMC is appointing bodyguards and police forces to protect their leaders. We urge intellectuals to come forward and see the role of the Maoist party in Junglemahal. If we are proved guilty, we will accept the punishment given by the people. Will the TMC accept their faults if they are found to be guilty?

It is not true that there are no arrests. Post-polls, PCPA leader Manoj Mahato was arrested and falsely charged with murder cases. He was merely moving among the people to organise them for rallies. He has the constitutional right to do so. Many others are charged under false murder cases and portrayed as Maoists. Are we to believe that Mamata is unaware of these facts? Even when people complained about the arrests, she is taking no action. What does it show? Read between the lines.

Yes, there are changes in the atmosphere after the elections. But they are not sufficient. More changes are needed. To your question of whether talks can proceed unless our conditions are met, this can also be a process among many other processes. We also have to see what Mamata and other leaders are saying openly during their visit to Junglemahal.

Is it a realistic pre-condition to demand unconditional withdrawal of troops even before there is a declaration of ceasefire? Is not the first natural step a temporary suspension of operations on both sides?
In one way, we agree with your proposal. At first, the government can take steps for suspension of troop movement and secondly it can withdraw. But the government is misinforming the whole world by saying that there is no troop movement over here. We agree that the situation is different from the period when the CPMwas in power. In June and July, we did not notice any night ambush. But the troops are very much present and moving all around Junglemahal. Secondly, the forces include new counter-insurgency troops. This force is small and comprises 10-15 members. Along with the Cobra commandos, they are undertaking combing operations. Wherever they find information about us, they barricade the place within two hours. After 10 July, several police camps have been set up. In the name of patrolling, they enter villages and threaten people. They are restricting mass rallies by saying the new government wants peace, not such agitations. The forces also mention that they are quiet now as there has been a change in government, but they won’t tolerate it for long. Hence the propaganda of suspension of troop movement in Junglemahal is false. The troops are collecting information from enemy camps and acting accordingly. There are several villages that help us by giving food and shelter. The troops ransack those villages.

There may be a question of temporary troop suspension but unless and until the government approaches us specifically, it is not possible to respond. All factors for suspension of troops and ceasefire are not in the hands of the Maoists. The government has failed to make a favourable condition for ceasefire. This is the ground reality. Considering this, if Mamata still wants peace talks with the Maoists directly, or wants to send us any message, we have no problem. But at the same time, she must understand that peace is not a daily commodity available in the local market. Long lectures from the CM are not enough to address the question. Peace talks are a long process, Mamata should respect this. If the government is really honest in its effort for peace talks, we have no objection.

At what point will the Maoist party be willing to declare ceasefire and accept a mutual ‘cessation of hostilities’? Define exactly what you want the West Bengal government to state.
Mamata’s appointed committee led by Sujatro Bhadro can talk to us or meet us directly. But prior to that, the joint forces should stop harassing people. They should stop their illegal activities in the name of routine patrolling. The movement of counter-insurgency forces should be stopped. False cases against political prisoners should be withdrawn. If Mamata wants to do this through her review committee, we will wait. We are not supporting or boycotting this committee. Our demand is that Mamata unconditionally release all political prisoners and her network buildup should be stopped unconditionally. Only then can we think of peace talks.

There can be no unilateral ceasefire. We have never demanded it. If there is ceasefire, there should be a monitoring committee. It should have participation from both sides.

Keep it green Forest tracts in Salboni should be made no-go areas for industries, says Akash

Let both parties sit together. Before that, the mediators and interlocutors have to sit and discuss modalities. From the side of the government and the Maoists, we have to give power to the team to supervise the activities of the government, its forces and the ruling party. At the same time, from our side, we will cooperate with the supervising committee in all aspects to continue the peace, and any of the government’s so-called development activities.

The talks between our party and the government are not in the hands of just the West Bengal government. This is dealt with by Chidambaram. He is the most trusted member of the Manmohan government and the most trusted agent of the World Bank and Pentagon. Chidambaram says the state government has the power to deal with law and order issues. But the reality is different.

Take the example of Chhattisgarh where our party recently ambushed a Congress minister. Informing the Chhattisgarh CM, Chidambaram directly suspended the SP of the district. He has also directly suspended five IPS officers of Jharkhand. It shows that at any moment, at any cost, the Union home ministry will act. Hence the talks are not only in Mamata’s hands.

You have mentioned cessation of hostilities. We do not notice this in her approach. Since the elections, we have not administered any extreme punishment in the people’s court. Though the public has demanded extreme punishment for culprits, we convinced them against it. Why? We want to expose the character of the State in front of the people. Whoever is in power, whether it’s the TMC or the CPM, they murder whoever goes against them to suppress democratic voices. This differs from our ideology. You will not find a single instance in the past 11 years in Junglemahal where we have beaten someone to death. Both the police and administration let it pass as criminal activities of local goons. The scenario is the same in the reign of TMC as it was during CPM rule. These brutal hostilities among political parties actually expose what kind of democracy they want to preach. Our motive is to stop this hypocrisy. Has Chidambaram ever uttered a word against the brutality between TMC and CPM? He won’t because he has to strike a balance. Without it, he cannot carry on his war against the people.

What is your assessment of Mamata’s government so far? Do you see this as a pro-people government?
Mamata is a propagandist who is keen to establish her pro-people credentials. After coming to power, she announced a twomember committee headed by Rajya Sabha member Deboproto Bandhopadhyay. He has recommended that forest land be made no-go area for industries. Mamata should enact this. Instead of giving 1,000 acres in Salboni forests to the Jindal group, the government should announce forest land as non-industry zone.

But what is the TMC actually doing? It has formed the Kharagpur-Midnapore Development Authority with TMC district leader Mrigen Maity as the chairperson. He is continuously pursuing the Jindal group for industry in Salboni. Regarding Mamata’s land policy, we will comment after the parliamentary session.

There is a sense that inclusive and propeople development policies could make the Maoist party irrelevant in Junglemahal. What will be the key issues of your armed struggle?
This is propaganda. As the political, economic and social crises are getting deeper, the state is compelled to take pro-people stances, like the Congress in UP. The people of Junglemahal have consolidated themselves under our leadership for the past 11 years. This took place against the social fascism of the CPM and this is what resulted in the decline of the CPM raj. They key issue of our struggle is also development. For the past four years, we have been undertaking parallel development. We will continue this. Secondly, we want to resist State terrorism. Third, our agenda is to establish a democratic autonomous functioning of the panchayat. Next, our focus will be to resist oppression and the antipeople activities of the TMC.

Tusha Mittal is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka. tusha@tehelka.com

Maoists nexus with Mamata - an insider's view

The Truth About Kabir Suman, Mamata and the Maoists

Susanta Bhattacharyya

2010/04/04

On 21 July 2008, the 'progressive and radical' singer Kabir Suman made a speech in a public meeting of Mamata Banerjee. Kabir Suman is one of her new found friends after the Singur-Nandigram debacle in West Bengal. After acclaiming the Nandigram resistance in his speech, Kabir Suman declared that West Bengal has turned into a fascist state where the ruling party CPM has muted all democratic voices. According to him, the CPM is a killer party because they 'kill three in retaliation to one'. "Once I felt proud to be a leftist, a Marxist. Today the same thought directs me to kick my own ass," he emotionally proclaimed.

Lot of people, otherwise aloof from any political discourse had actively involved themselves in the Nandigram debate. Many words are still flooding the Internet sites on the pros and cons of the events happened in Nandigram, a rural locality in the East Midnapur district of West Bengal.A notice put up by a local government body on January 2007 instigated the subsequent bloody armed resistance against a proposed chemical hub. After the Singur movement failed to evoke enough appeal from the general public, courtesy to Mamata Banerjee's highly publicized 'fasting before public' farce, the anti land acquisition groups were searching for another opportunity to explore. Nandigram provided them an appropriate ground. An overconfident government and its needlessly hasty methods contributed enough ammunition for these groups to infiltrate deep into the local villager's minds by exploiting their sensitiveness towards the land. Even though on 11 March, the government announced that no land would be taken over at Nandigram and declared to abandon its plan of the proposed chemical hub, the agitation continued as it had already gained its momentum. After the police firing on 14 March claiming 14 innocent lives, Nandigram became a symbol of anti-industrialization protest in India. In the recently held panchayat polls, Trinamul Congress has achieved a sweeping victory in East Midnapur district, particularly in Nandigram. Previously, this area was dominated by the CPIM.

Kabir Suman's proclamation could be evaluated on these circumstances. Throughout the Nandigram agitation, a chunk of prominent intellectuals and artists was proactive in supporting the Nandigram agitation. Famous faces, many of them earlier known to be CPIM sympathizers suddenly did a volte-face and openly went against the party on the issue. Many abuses were hurdled towards the Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya. His government and his party was branded as a neo-liberal tyrant, and accused as hypocrites for purposely distancing themselves from the Marxist way. Notably, there was a fine difference between the agitating artist-intellectuals on one issue: should they protest along with Mamata Banerjee or not. Kabir Suman was among the most vocal artists who along with some former naxalites were in favor of participating the agitation along with Mamata Banerjee and her party the Trinamul Congress (TMC).

The deliberate position of these artist-intellectuals and former naxalites for associating with TMC came from their apparent commitment with the Maoist (1) political line pursued in West Bengal to 'prolifically use the different contradiction among the enemy in the bitter political battle'. This course of action was undertaken by the People's War faction in the early years of 2000-2001 during the infamous Keshpur-Garbeta events. Who is this enemy they are indicating at? The ultimate enemy of the Maoists in West Bengal is the CPIM. To fight the CPIM, anybody who can provide support and assistance is a friend of the Maoists. It can be Trinamul today, could be Congress, BJP or any other political outfit tomorrow. The 'contradiction among the enemy' is to be exploited in theory and practise, all for the sake of the great people's war! In the continuing murders of political workers in West Bengal by the Maoists, all their victims are CPIM workers. From January 2001 to June 2008 the Maoists have murdered forty eight CPIM workers. Only in the past three months (from March to May 2008), nine CPIM workers were killed by the Maoists. No other political party workers in West Bengal are attacked or murdered by them. During the Nandigram clamor, Kabir Suman had publicly appealed to "kill 3 CPM everyday". Recently he has delivered a highly provocative speech from Mamata Banerjee's Singur dais that "when I hear that someone has shot and killed a CPM, I feel extremely delighted".

From the beginning of the agitation, the WB government claimed about the Maoist presence in Nandigram which was strongly denied by Mamata Banerjee, the sympathetic artist-intellectuals and also by a section of the media. After the recent arrest of the hardcore Maoist leader Somen (an alias; real name, Himadri Sen Roy), and recently revealed Maoist inner party documents give ample proofs to confirm the allegation. In an article in CPI (Maoist) organ Biplabi Yug, Somen wrote that his outfit had formed the front line in the Nandigram land war. "We were in Nandigram right from the beginning... we are in Nandigram and we will continue to remain in Nandigram" he wrote in his article. A Maoist document 'The anti SEZ historical struggle of Nandigram', has claimed that, "Many people are trying to call the Nandigram people's struggle simply as another mass movement. They also believe that the movement continued for eleven long months entirely unarmed...but the real truth is, the resistance sustained only because of the presence of the armed militia." The document also said that, "At the beginning, (people of Nandigram) followed the Trinamul leadership of Bhumi Ucched Protirodh Committee but from July onwards they continued their struggle under our leadership and plan."

Let us come back to Kabir Suman and his proclamation about 'fascist' West Bengal. Is it not a wonder how he continues to publicly utter those seditious words in a fascist state without being hounded by the 'fascist' government or the 'killer party' CPIM? On the contrary, we do remember that this progressive was once summoned by Lalbazar police headquarters in Kolkata and cautioned because he was repeatedly abusing a popular actor of Bengali cinema in vulgar words through telephone. This incident happened long before the Nandigram events.

Who really cares if Kabir Suman is a Marxist or opportunist? Perhaps Mamata Banerjee does; because she might have discovered many resemblances with him. It is a pity that many people including the present writer still regards him as a pioneer in postmodern Bengali music as a prolific songwriter, composer and singer.